Hot Topics:

The children of Gettysburg

What is a new generation learning about the battle that changed history?

By KATY PETIFORD

The Evening Sun

Updated:
07/08/2013 01:06:23 AM EDT

Nate Denny, 13, of Oxford, N.C., rests on his father Bryan Denny after participating in a battle at the Gettysburg Anniversary Committee re-enactment at the Redding Farm on Saturday in Gettysburg, Pa. Nate began re-enacting last October and is currently a member of the signal corps. (THE EVENING SUN -- JEFF LAUTENBERGER)

York, PA -

The parents and grandparents must have kept their fingers crossed in Gettysburg.

They probably prayed the booming cannons, galloping horses and soldiers in uniform during re-enactments and anniversary commemorations last week would keep their kids from realizing they were actually getting a history lesson.

That's exactly what the National Park Service was counting on when employees organized the hands-on educational programming for the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. Being able to touch and feel the past helps information sink in, even if the kids don't know what they're learning at the time.

The Hagiladi family, originally from a village near Jerusalem but currently living in New Jersey, relax on a field at Gettysburg National Military Park on Wednesday, July 3, 2013 in Gettysburg, Pa. In Israel, both parents tried to shield their children from guns and weapons but said the kids have been drawn to them regardless, and, while not interested in reenacting themselves, are enjoying the history during their first visit to Gettysburg. (THE EVENING SUN -- JEFF LAUTENBERGER)

"It was one of our major goals, to engage younger visitors," park spokesperson Katie Lawhon said. "We think the 150th battle anniversary is a very important opportunity for us not only to tell the story of the Gettysburg battle, but inspire a younger generation to care for these places in the future."

When the kids weren't climbing on cannons -- against the rules, of course -- or shooting invisible enemies with their fingers, the rangers tried to keep them busy with a little real history.

In order to earn a Junior Ranger patch and certificate, they had to complete three of seven activities -- like seeking out a battle artifact in the museum or finding a certain general on the battlefield or learning about the Gettysburg Address.

Advertisement

On the park's busiest days between July 1-4, the Park Service handed out 250 Junior Ranger certificates per hour, Lawhon said. As the park closed July 3, the last day of the actual three-day battle, rangers handed out more than 750 certificates in less than an hour.

Parents credited these interactive activities with keeping young kids entertained while discovering their country's history.

"They can really touch, feel and see things and it makes learning a lot more interesting," said Muller Kania, who brought his family to Gettysburg from New York, N.Y.

Brennan Italia, 12, of Oxford, Pa., is shackled in cuffs after being labeled a spy by Confederate Provost Larry Mink of Houston, Texas, during a living history display at Daniel Lady Farm on Wednesday, July 3, 2013 in Gettysburg, Pa. (THE EVENING SUN -- JEFF LAUTENBERGER)

His kids listed the battlefield, the historic Dobbin House and the Gettysburg National Cemetery as some of their favorite historic sites.

The focus of the weekend was the Gettysburg Anniversary Committee's annual re-enactments of the turning point American history. It is the Civil War's premier history event, with thousands of soldiers, sutler's wagons, church services, period clothing and, or course, plenty of "fighting."

On the other hand, 7-year-old Nicholas Severin was a lot more interested in the horses than he was in the history.

Many agreed the crash of the cannons, followed by the billows of white smoke, was the coolest thing of all.

Except, maybe, spending time with family.

For 13-year-old Victoria Smith, and her grandparents Becky and Jack Smith, the re-enactment was their first go at impersonating people from the Civil War era.

"It's like playing dress up, only grown-up," Becky Smith said.

The family decided to try it out because they have always wanted to, and the women bonded over buying dresses and researching the time period.

Back on the actual battlefield and far from the re-enactment, 13-year-old Devin Anthony and his father Kevin spent some quiet time in the shade, contemplating the equestrian statue of Union commander George Gordon Meade.

They don't wait for anniversaries. They make the four-hour drive from Kittanning, Pa., three times a year.

"I like spending time with my dad and learning about the monuments," Devin said. kpetiford@eveningsun.com; 717-637-3736, ext. 183; Twitter: @kpetiford